North America's Oldest and Largest Club for all year Firebirds and Trans Ams including Formulas, GTAs and Firehawks!!                Established in 1984.



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WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL FIREBIRD & TRANS AM CLUB

for all year Firebirds and Trans Ams
  

including Formulas, GTAs and Firehawks
Established in 1984

 

P. O. Box 11238
Chicago, IL 60611 USA
Ph: (773) 769-6262
FAX: (773) 769-3240
email
: info@firebirdtaclub.com


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FROM THE EDITORS' DESK | IN THE NEWS  | SAVING PONTIAC | NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES 
More in National Firebird & Trans Am Club Blog

National Firebird and Trans Am Club Blog

FROM THE EDITORS' DESK
by Robert Thomas and Frank Ochal

'78 Trans Am of Larry Kabrick Thanks to all of the new members that joined recently.
Thanks
to Bethany Orr, Dan Wernitznig, Becky Bardoff, Rod Mehl, John Klaver and all of the other contributors to this issue! Also many thanks to Todd Stahr, Justin Kwarta, Doug Lester, Bethany Orr, Bill Simcox and Brett Campbell on their continuing technical help to our members on our message board at http://board.firebirdclub.net.

We have a new website for mobile phone users at www.firebirdtransamclub.mobi . It is easier to read on smart cell phones than the regular website.

I am sure you have noticed the improvement in the look and feel of the Eagle. The pages are larger, the paper is better and the quality of the color pictures is considerably better with more vivid colors. We have made a change in printers to make a better looking magazine. Let me know what you think of the changes.

In addition to the items found in our regular club store, more store merchandise including tote bags, caps, sweat pants, shorts and other items can be found at our Fieldhouse Club Store located at www.fieldhouse.com/nftac .

There are organizations to save Pontiac. One of the more organized ones is located at www.SavingPontiac.org . Some of the details appear in this issue along with a sample petition to be sent to government officials. If you go to the website you can submit it through the internet.

We have updated our payment form on our website to directly take credit card and PayPal payments. Your credit card is now checked for accuracy and verified and your order is placed into a shopping cart of items awaiting checkout. This type of program should be very familiar to people who pay for items on other Internet websites and is available on the PayPal/Credit Card website button. The old form will also remain for members that are comfortable with it.

Also there is a now a Local Groups/Activities section on the Club Message Board where each local club has its own section where local club items can be discussed.

You can now find us on the popular networking sites myspace, facebook, friendster and twitter in the groups/clubs section.

We have a new and improved club message board. You can access through the club website at www.firebirdtaclub.com or directly at http://board.firebirdclub.net . We have a members only section of the message board. You can use the user id and password on page 3 of each Eagle or you can get a personal id and password. To do so, register and then logon to the message board and send a message to us with a reply in this section or via email. This allows you to access the Member Only Question & Answer and Upkeep and Performance Hints Area.  It also allows you to post items in the For Sale and Wanted sections as well as post photos in the Member Photos area. Also there is a now a Local Groups/Activities section.

The club also now has a blog located at http://blog.firebirdclub.net . Members can publish items or comments to the Blog.

We have a National Firebird & Trans Am Club photo gallery located at http://photos.firebirdclub.net . The same login is used for the gallery as the Message Board. Members can download photos directly here.

We now offer a 3 year membership or renewal rate which includes a free t-shirt or tech volume II CD. The rate is $95 or $125 for members outside the USA. And in response to many members we now have a 3 year eMembership for $65 which also includes a free t-shirt or tech volume III CD. So save some money and get a free t-shirt or tech CD in the process!

Classified ads are FREE to members but now you can add photographs of your items for sale. For $15 we will include a photograph of your car or item. Also the classified ads will now appear on our website and in the eEagle.

Remember we will send out the eEagle, our email newsletter in addition to the regular Eagle for members that have given us their email address. Our website address is www.firebirdtaclub.com and our email address is info@ firebirdtaclub.com. The website has a "Members Only" section on the web site. This section contains technical staff contact information, recommended repair shops, spare parts lists that members have sent in as well as complete current and past issues of the member magazine which can be viewed on-line or downloaded for printing.

You need an ID and password to access this area. You will find the current ID and password on page 3 of each issue of the EAGLE. These will change with each issue so use only the current ones listed. Also now you can to create your own id and password for the members only section. Submit the form on the members only page to do this.

Thanks for all of your support and to this issue’s contributors and I hope to see you at the car shows this summer!

EAGLE ADVERTISERS (including Accessories, Events, Insurance, Parts, Service)


IN THE NEWS!

Another Trans Am Conversion
from Car Scoop

Another Trans Am Conversion

Not surprisingly, Pontiac’s demise has spurred an interest in the creation of Trans Am replicas based on the new Chevrolet Camaro. We remind you that we’ve already seen a conceptual proposal for a modern-day Pontiac Trans Am from ASC Creative Services and real-life examples from Lingenfelter and Trans Am Depot.

The latest company to join the list of tuners interested in creating a Trans Am replica is a company called Gearhead Performance Group.

Along with the cosmetic upgrades that include new front and rear fascias complete with unique lights, 21- or 22-inch snowflake wheels, a large rear spoiler and gold interior accents, the tuner claims that it will offer an optional twin-turbo LS9 V8 with some 900 horsepower.

SAVING PONTIAC

Letters to Save Pontiac

My name is Nick and I am still in the fight to save Pontiac until the beginning of next year, and I am asking for your help. Please ask your members to consider writing a few E-mails and letters on behalf of rescuing Pontiac. I ask for no money and all it takes is a few stamps and a little bit of their time. First, everyone should send an E-mail to editor Tom DeMauro at High Performance Pontiac magazine at Tom.Demauro@sorc.com . He is seeking comments from people who want Pontiac to return. He will then turn these comments over to GM and Michigan senators.

Next, Pontiac fans should write to Magna International. This Canadian and Austrian company is huge and nearly purchased Opel from GM last summer. GM changed their mind at the last minute and the deal fell through. They are an international auto parts firm and even operate assembly lines for other auto makers. They have the means to revive Pontiac. I have already written to two addresses - their Canadian headquarters and U.S. office. Here it is:

Magna International
Attn: Company CEO
337 Magna Drive
Aurora , Ontario
CANADA L4G 7KI

Magna International of America Inc.
Attn: Company President
600 Wilshire Drive
Troy, Michigan 48084

And finally, if enthusiasts want to go one extra mile they can write to Exxon Mobil. They have vast financial resources and who says an oil company can't own a car company?

Sounds a bit off, but they can make it happen if they believe it is a good investment. Pontiac fans can convince them that it is. What have we got to lose? I already wrote them a letter. Here's the address :

Mr. Rex W. Tillerson, Chairman and CEO
Exxon Mobil Corporation
5959 Las Colinas Boulevard
Irving, Texas 75039

Thank you for your time in reading my letter. Any help you and your club members can offer is greatly appreciated, Nothing will happen unless we all work TOGETHER.

Sincerely,
Nick S.

Saving Pontiac at www.SavingPontiac.org

We are a group of Executives who believe that government should be held to a responsible standard for managing our assets; and we are Pontiac enthusiasts that want the brand to survive!!
We created www.Savingpontiac.org, as a non-partisan organization designed to ignore the politicizing of all government decisions, to take advantage of an existing, unique and singular opportunity to CREATE JOBS NOW!!.
 

Our Federal Government purchased General Motors by injecting $50 billion into GM during 2009. Through the bankruptcy process the Federal Government has come to own 61% of the Company. Accordingly The federal government, which also means all taxpayers, can make, literally, any decisions  about the operation of the Company. While we believe it is the right decision for General Motors to jettison the Pontiac nameplate, we do not think abandoning the brand is the best decision for the Owners of GM;
 

The Taxpayers.
Our organization will employ a simple strategy:
* Educate and encourage elected officials, candidates, CEO's and the general public to work toward changing the decision to discard the Pontiac brand rather than letting American use the brand and the dormant GM facilities to create jobs.
* Direct engagement of elected officials and appointed staff to ensure a full understanding is obtained. Our discourse will include taxpayer and workers rights as well as the immediate creation of jobs.
* Create awareness and engender support of all Americans for American these jobs.

Our Solution
We have modeled a solution that would have the following elements:
* Contribute the Pontiac brand and a dormant plant like the Spring Hill, Tennessee plant to a new entrepreneurial, passionate management team and the future employees of Pontiac.
* Fund the new Company with $3 Billion in preferential term loans from the Federal Government. (Only 6% of the $50B given to GM; only 3% of total Automobile bailout funds or less than 1% of the unspent bank bailout funds)
* Company does an IPO within 5 years to payback loans and Government (Taxpayers receive 5% to 10% of the IPO proceeds and the loans are repaid.)
* The estimated Enterprise Value at the end of 5 years exceeds $9 Billion.
(Our association has filed and been approved by the IRS as a 527 Political Organization. There are no owners of our association. We are an non-profit but not a charity. Contributions are not tax deductible.)

Sample Petition to be sent (available online at www.savingpontiac.org for submission

To:  Congress of the United States; The Treasury Department; and Mr. Ron Bloom ("Car Czar")

We, the undersigned, do hereby strongly request and ardently urge that General Motors, which is 61% owned by the taxpayers of America, be instructed to divest, to third parties, its ownership in the Pontiac brand and available, dormant manufacturing facilities to support the Pontiac brand in order to ensure that this car company will be permanently in operation in the United States. This divestiture would be for the purpose of ensuring thousands of jobs are kept in America, that American manufacturing capability will be kept in this country and Americans will continue to have a choice of American made automobiles for the long term.

We also believe that this divestiture can be done in a manner which is for the enrichment of the American public and the employees of the “new Pontiac” as opposed to the enrichment of a small number of owners or financiers. The American people have already bought these assets with little likelihood of repayment. The people who own these assets should be able to use them for themselves and to stop what amounts to restraint of trade by General Motors.

Savingpontiac.Org and the undersigned encourage the Government to move quickly to minimize damage to the brand by the continuing “shut down” of Pontiac that is currently being executed by the management of General Motors.

               Sincerely,


The Saving Pontiac Petition to Congress of the United States; The Treasury Department; and Mr. Ron Bloom ("Car Czar") was created by and written by Ben Holcomb (ben@savingpontiac.org).   The petition is reproduced here on the NFTAC Message Board as a public service.

Can BMW Save Pontiac?

Another Saving Pontiac effort involves asking BMW to purchase the Pontiac name. This might not be as popular because it would mean German ownership, but it may be our only chance. Both BMW and Pontiac share the same automotive philosophy of sport and performance.

Pontiacs can be more fuel efficient and more affordable for most Americans. And with so many Pontiacs still on the road, BMW would stand to gain MANY MORE potential customers! Also important is that a dealership network already exists, the plants are still standing, and there's thousands of workers ready to go! Ask BMW to put them to work! Here is their address:
 
BMW North America LLC
300 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, New Jersey  07677

website: www.bmwusa.com
Customer Relations: 1-800-831-1117


NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Technical Sections Volume 2

A complete copy of all the Technical Sections, topics, questions and answers published in the EAGLE from 1998 to 2007. Available on CD-ROM for PC or Mac or in a printed version. It is indexed by category such as electrical, suspension, etc. for easy reference and accessibility and contains over 150 pages and over 200 topics.

Available from the NFTAC by ordering on the website or by using the order form in each issue of the Eagle.

$15 plus $5 S&H for the CD and $20 plus $5 S&H in printed version.

It can be purchased as part of a 2 volume combo that contains Tech Sections Volume I & II (vol. II on CD) for $25 plus $5 S&H or Volume I & II both printed for $30 plus $10 S&H.

Eagle Issues on CD

You can have the last years of the Eagle since 1998 easily accessible on your computer. Indexed by issue. These publications, which are no longer in print contain numerous and diverse articles and photos. Enjoy all the entertaining and informative stories that you can no longer get anywhere else and at a reasonable price.

Available from the NFTAC by ordering on the website at http://orders.firebirdclub.net or by using the order form contained in each issue of the Eagle. $15 plus $5 S& H.

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